Bottle carrier



May 30, 1939. E. H. LUPTON BOTTLE CARRIER Filed Sept. l. 1938 2Sheets-Sheet 1 l '.f/ I

May so, 1939. E, Hf UPTON 2,160,550

BOTTLE CARRIER Filed Sept. l. 1938 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented May 30,1939 UNIrED STATES y'myn-:NT OFFICE 'Ihis invention relates toimprovements in bottlecarriers. The carrier of my invention comprises astrip of paper board or similar Ilexible material divided by creaselines into a bottom panel and two side panels of equal length,

the end portions ofthe side panels having hand holes and 'interlockingmeans and constituting the handle portion of the carrier. The bottompanel is of a suitable size to support two rows.

lo of bottles side by side, and to space the bottles apart and hold themin position on the bottom, I provide on the blank a spacing strip havingtwo rows of openings to receive the bottles. This spacing strip issupported above the bottom by hinged aps connecting its ends-with theends of the bottom panel. Y In setting up the carrier, the s ide panelsare turned upwardly and they engage the sides of the spacing strip, andinterlocking connections are'provided between the side panels and thespacing strip or its supporting ilaps so that the latter will bemaintained in their upright positions. panels are then locked together.A large opening is made in each side panel through which the bottles maybe inserted or removed. Tongues cut out of the side panels, depend fromthe handle portion and extend between the rows of bottles and assist inmaintaining them in upright positions. In the accompanying drawings,

Fig. 1 is a plan View of the blank from which4 the carrier shown inFigs. 2-4 is formed; g

Fig. 1 is an outline View showing the spacing strip of the blankconnected to both supporting f flaps; "5 Fig. 2 is a perspective view ofthe carrier with rows of bottles therein; v Fig. 3 is a transversesection taken centrally through Fig. 2; Fig. 4 is a horizontal sectionon the line 4-4 of Fig. 3;

Fig. 5 is a plan view of a portion of a blank for forming a carrier asin the preceding figures, but showing an alternative locking .means forpreventing endwise movement of the spacing member, and, t

Fig. 6 is a detail view illustrating the man-ner in which the lockingmeans of Fig. 5 is applied.

Referring to Fig. 1 of the drawings, A represents a blank of cardboard,or analogous flexible material, comprisingga strip a, scoredtransversely asshown at I and 2, dividing the strip 4into a centralpanel 4 which constitutes the bottom of the carrier and two panels 5 and6 which form the sides and handle portions of the carrier.

The handle portions ofy the side Connected to the e'nds of the bottompanel 4 are aps 'I and 8 which are foldable upwardly with respect, tosaid panel along crease lines 9 which .are in line with the edges of thestrip a. The

flap 8 is integral with a strip b which is foldable 5 with respect tosaid flap along the crease line IU. The strip b has two rows of circularopenings' II and I2, each opening of the proper diameter to permit thebody of a bottle to tfreely within it.

In the completed carrier, the end portion I3 o1' 10 the strip b is gluedor otherwise secured to the flap'.v I and when the iiaps I and 8 are inupright position', they support the strip b above and par.- allel withthe bottom panel 4, as shown in outline in Fig. l anc1 also shown inFigs. 2 and 3. The 16 strip b and its supporting flaps constitute meansfor spacing the bottles apart and holding them in position upon thebottom panel. As the aps 1 and s are hinged to the ens of the bottompanel and also to the spacing strip b, it is necessary to interlockthesemembers with the side panels 5 and 6 when the carrier is set up, inorder to prevent endwise movement. of the strip with respect to thebottom panel, and for this purpose pairs of tabs I4 and I5 are providedon 25 the strip a at its opposite edges, adjacent the flaps 1 and 8,respectively, and when the side panels 5 and 6 are raised asin' Figs. 2and 3, these tabs are inserted in the space vbetween the strip b and thebottom panel 4, adjacent the 'aps 30 and between the flaps and the endbottles in the rows, as shown in Figs. 3 and 4. Y

- Each of the panels 5 and'6 of the blank has short crease lines I6 andIl extending inwardly from its side edges, these lines being spaced from5 the lines which define the bottom panel by a distanceequal toapproximately the heightr of the bottles to be carried,A and from theinner ends of these crease lines a downwardly'1 curving cut I 8 is madein each 4side panel of the blank, o

thus forming a large-opening I9 ineach side of the carrier through whichthe bottles c may be inserted into the openings in the spacing mem,- berb and onto the bottom panel 4, and by the same. cuts correspondinglylarge tongues 2B are s formed, which tongues, as shown in Figs. 2 and 3,extend downwardly between the ro/ws of bottles, when the carrier is setup andf/lled, serving as separators between the rows ot bottles andhelping to maintain them in upright positions so 50 that the bases ofthe -bottles rest atly against the bottom panel 4.

' The handle portion of the side 6 comprises the part Iial of the blankbetween the crease lines IG--II and a crease line 2|, beyond which is a.f

Oblong openings 22' in the parts 6l and 8b of the blank register whenthese parts are glued together and form a hand opening 22 in the handleportion of the completed carrier. Similajrly the extension 5* of theside 5 of the blank between its crease lines I$,-I1 and the crease line23, and a part i which folds against the part 5n and is glued to it,form a double thick handle portion for the side 5 of the carrier.Tongues 24n punched out of the parts 5* and 5b register with one anotherwhen these parts are. folded and glued together, and these form a tongue24 of doublethickness adapted to extend through the opening 22 in thehandle portion of the side Ii of the carrier, as shown in Figs. 2 and 3.The head on this tongue is wider than the length of theopening 22, sothat when the tongue -is pushed through the opening, the handle por'tions are locked together. If desired,the tongue and opening in thehandle portions may be punched out after the parts composing theseportions have been folded and glued together.

To set up the carrier shown in'Figs. 2 and 3, the sides 5 and i arefolded upwardly, the tabs I4 and .I5 on their edges at the same timebeing inserted between the spacing strip band the bottom panel 4,alongside the end flaps 'I and 8,.

respectively, and'the handle portionsare locked together by the lockingtongue 24. 'I'he bottles can then be inserted through the openings I9 inthe sides. the separating tongues 20 being pushed inwardly Aby thisoperation so that they occupy a position between the rows of bottles.The tabs I4 and I5 on the sidesthen lie between the ilaps I and 8 andthe end bottles in the rows. When the carrier is lled the upper portionsof the bottles rare exposed to view, as is desirable. I'he .individualbottles can be removed by simply lifting them'through the side openingsof the carrier; l Y

Instead of providing the tabs I4 and I5 on the side members of rthecarrier to interlock with the end aps 'I and 8 of the spacing member,

these iiaps may be extended as shown in Figs.

5 and6 so that their ends will abut against the edges of the sides whentheglatter are in-A upright position. Thus, as shown in Fig. 5,- the endflap 'I'L is extended beyondF the crease lines I and'2 which define thewidth of the bottom' panel 4 vand the'end ap 8* is similarly extendedand made longer than the width of the 'bottom' panel 4 and the spacingstrip b. Fig. 6 is ade-5 longitudinal movement of the spacing strip bAwhichl is supported by the flaps. Figs. 5 and 6 are lintended to merelyshow the alternative loci-x-A ing means between the sides and thespacing strip. Itwill be understood, without illustration, that theother features of the carrier are openings and constitutingA the handleportion of the carrier. means for spacing the bottles apart ,andforholding them in position onthe bottom panel comprising a spacing stripof approximately'the saine dimensions as thebottom panel 5 andhavingopenings through which thelower parts of the bottles may extendand aps hinged tothe ends of the bottom panel and the spacing strip andadapted to support the latter strip above the bottom panel, andinterlocking de- 10 vices between said spacing means and said sidepanels for preventing endwise movement of the spacing means when theside panels are in their upright positions.

2. A bottle carrier comprising an elongated 15 strip of flexiblematerial creased transversely forming a bottom panel ada ted to supporttwo rows of bottles extending side by side transversely 1 ofthe stripand two side panels adapted to fold upwardly along said crease lines,the end por 20 tions of the side panels having registering openingsand'constituting the handle portion of the carrier, means for spacingthe bottles apart and for holding them in position on the bottom panelcomprising a spacing strip ot approximately. the 9,5 same dimensions asthe bottom panel and havins openings through which the lower parts ofthe "bottles may extend and naps hinged to the ends of the vbottom paneland the spacing strip and" adapted tosupport the latter-strip above the30 bottom panel, the side panels having tabs at their edges adjacent thebottom panel adapted l to enter between the'spacing strip and bottomvpanel and engagethe inner sides of the naps ,of the strip and two sidepanels adapted to fold f upwardly alongsaid crease lines, the end porltions of the side panels having registering openings and constitutingthev handle portion of the 45 can'ier, means for spaclng'the bottlesapart and for holding them in position on the bottom panel comprising aspacing strip of approximately the same dimensions as the bottom paneland having openings through which the lower parts of the 60..

bottles may extend and flaps hinged to the ends of the bottom panel andthe spacing strip and adapted to support the latter strip above thebottom panel, the ends of theV flaps projecting beyond the side edgesofthe spacing strip and 55 adapted to bear against the side edges o fthe side panels and prevent endwise movement of the spacing means whenthe side ilaps are in their upright positions.

4. A bottle can-ier comprising. an elongated 00 strip of iiexiblematerial creased transversely forming a bottom panel adapted to supporttwo rows of bottles extending side by side transversely of the strip andtwo side panels adapted to fold4 upwardly along said crease lines, theend por- 05 tions of the side panels'having registering openings andconstituting the handleportion of the carrier, means for spacing thebottles apart and for holding them in position on the bottom panelcomprising a spacing strip oi approximately the same dimensions as thebottom panel and having openings through which the lower partsof thebottles may extend and ilaps hinged to the ends of the bottom panel andthe spacing strip and adapted to support the latter strip above the A,2,160,559 bottom panel, the side panels each having .an

opening in its upper part, below the handle portion, through which thebottles composing a row may be inserted into or removed from thecarrier, and interlocking devices between said spacing means and saidside panels for preventing endwise movement ofY the spacing means whenthe side panels are in their upright positions.

5. A bottle carrier comprising an elongated strip of flexible materialcreased transversely forming a bottom panel adapted to support two rowsof bottles extending side by side transversely of the strip and two sidepanels adapted to fold upwardly along said crease lines. the endportions of the side panelshaving registering openings and constitutingthe handle portion of the carrier, means for spacing the bottles apartand for holding them in position on the bottom panel comprising aspacing strip of approximately the same dimensions as the bottom paneland having openings through which the lower parts of the bottles mayextend and naps hinged to the ends of the bottom panel and the spacingstrip and adapted to support the latterstripa-bove the bottom panel,each side panel having a cut extendin zi'downwardly from the handleportion near onl of the side edges of the panel, thence transversely ofthe panel and thence upwardly to the handle portion near the oppositeedgel of the panel,- forming an opening through which the bottlescomposing a row may be inserted into the carrier and forming a tonguedepending from the handle portion adapted to extend between the rows ofbottles, and interlocking. devices between said spacing means and saidside panels for preventing endwise movement ot the spacing means whentheside panels are in their upright positions. l I I 6. A bottle carriercomprising an elongated strip of iiexible material creased transverselyforming a' bottom panel adapted to support two rows of bottles extendingside by side transversely of the strip and two side panels adapted tofold'upwardiy along said crease lines, the end portions of the sidepanels having registering openings and constituting the handle portionof the carrier, means for spacing the bottles apart and for holding themin position on thev bottom panel comprising a spacing strip ofapproximately the same dimensions as the bottom' panel and havingopenings through which the lower parts of the bottles may extend andilaps hinged to the ends of the bottom panel and the spacing strip andadapted to support the latter strip above the bottom panel, the handleportions having hand openings which register when the car'- rier is setup, the opening in one portion being shorter than' the opening in theother portion, and a tongue formed in the larger opening and havingshoulders adapted to interlock'with the edges oi the smaller opening.

EINER. H. LUPTON. e

